In a perfect world, everyone would have the opportunity to live in a climate that allows them to enjoy riding motorcycles year round. For those of you that have to store your bike away for the winter — which we suspect is far too many of you reading today’s post — there are several things to consider when preparing your motorcycle for storage. As you’ll see below, a solid approach to storage preparation can prevent safety issues and unnecessary expense when your bike emerges from hibernation and the riding season resumes.

Recently, a number of Harley riders have contacted J&P’s Tech Support Department asking for help in identifying potential problems with their motorcycle’s charging systems. Determining whether a problem exists with a battery, stator, or regulator can be an overwhelming task for the novice rider, which is why we always suggest taking the battery in question to Auto Zone, Advance Auto, Pep Boys, or another similar auto parts store or motorcycle dealership, where they will usually charge and test the battery for free.